Okaloosa County Public Library Cooperative
Okaloosa County Public Library Cooperative is a multi-jurisdictional public library system based in Niceville (Okaloosa County), Florida, serving a legal service area of 311,554 residents through six library buildings. By population served it is the 22nd-largest of the 62 profiled systems in Florida.
Against the median system of its size class, it records only 50% of the operating spending per resident and 49% fewer physical checkouts per resident.
Okaloosa County against the 122 systems of its size class
Okaloosa County in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 392,484
- Physical checkouts
- 562,039
- Registered users
- 39,130
- Program sessions
- 2,940
- Program attendance
- 72,273
- Print volumes
- 239,821
- Audio items (physical)
- 8,610
- Video items (physical)
- 38,783
- Public computers
- 123
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 13,584
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 62.0
- Operating spending
- $5.6 million
- …on books and other materials
- $536,715
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Okaloosa County gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $5.8 million, or $18.60 per resident. The local-government share is close to the combined share for the 62 profiled systems in Florida. No federal operating revenue was reported.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Who comes to Okaloosa County programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 58% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 25 people each.
Nearest in size within Florida
- LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library System · Tallahassee · 300,806 residents
- St. Johns County Public Library System · St. Augustine · 331,327 residents
- West Florida Public Libraries · Pensacola · 334,119 residents
- St. Lucie County Library System · Fort Pierce · 385,605 residents
Multi-jurisdictional libraries of similar size in other states
Of these six systems, five record more visits per resident than this one. The highest checkout rate in the group belongs to Jefferson-Madison Regional Library in Virginia.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens Regional Library System | Athens, GA | 250,788 | 2.16 | 2.85 | $17.63 |
| Jefferson-Madison Regional Library | Charlottesville, VA | 239,717 | 3.53 | 5.30 | $42.23 |
| Tuscaloosa Public Library | Tuscaloosa, AL | 236,780 | 3.45 | 2.17 | $18.07 |
| Eastern Oklahoma Library System | Muskogee, OK | 236,086 | 2.14 | 1.99 | $25.27 |
| Abbe Regional Library System | Aiken, SC | 228,365 | 0.83 | 1.33 | $6.23 |
| Central Mississippi Regional Library | Brandon, MS | 227,738 | 1.70 | 1.72 | $10.53 |
Okaloosa County, building by building
The six buildings cover 88,883 square feet in total, 0.29 square feet per resident against a median of 0.46 for the size class. The largest building is Fort Walton Beach Library at 24,200 square feet; the smallest is Valparaiso Community Library at 5,468. The longest hours are at Niceville Public Library, 49 a week.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Destin Library | Branch | Destin | 43.8 | 13,327 |
| Fort Walton Beach Library | Branch | Fort Walton Beach | 45 | 24,200 |
| Mary Esther Public Library | Branch | Mary Esther | 42 | 6,388 |
| Niceville Public Library | Branch | Niceville | 49 | 22,500 |
| Robert L.f. Sikes Public Library | Branch | Crestview | 44.1 | 17,000 |
| Valparaiso Community Library | Branch | Valparaiso | 38.9 | 5,468 |